The Mysterious Great Hero (2)
The Gorgon sisters were born as goddesses. Their mother was Gaia, the Earth Mother, and their father was Pontus, the god of the sea. They were great deities who traversed the vast wilderness during the Golden Age. There was a certain nobility to the gods who first birthed the great nature and established the order of the continent. Their act of bearing children was unlike the coupling of mortals; it was a deliberate action taken to construct order with a clear purpose. Even though they could create new life whenever they pleased, they did not act in ways that would bring chaos to the world. It was akin to adding a 'System' to ensure the continent flowed more correctly, much like how Nyx, the goddess of night, birthed Thanatos to oversee the death of life and ensure the night flowed as it should.
The act of bearing children was also achieved through magic using mana. The three Gorgon sisters were born as part of that world's harmony—three goddesses of exquisite beauty. Medusa was the youngest.
"Great Mother Gaia, what is our role?"
The Earth Mother replied in a gentle voice, "Teach the humans the happiness of beauty. Spread the way of living with kindness and grace."
Beings born to be beautiful. That was the role of the three Gorgon sisters. Among them, Medusa, the youngest with the tallest stature and the most flowing hair, was showered with the adoration of humanity. Because she was stronger than her sisters, she could carry heavy loads and guard their homes well. Even when farming, she was the first to pick up a hoe.
"Goddesses, you are beautiful today as well."
"Thank you for your kindness in sharing so much fruit with us."
The three sisters lived peacefully among human society for a long time. They possessed immortal bodies; their beauty never withered. "Medusa, come here. Let me brush your hair." "Medusa, come here. Let me smooth out your dress." Her two older sisters, Stheno and Euryale, always doted on their youngest. Medusa loved nothing more than facing her sisters while they groomed her. Never forgetting the teachings of the Earth Mother, she always extended kindness and tolerance to the people. Thanks to this, Medusa was able to spread beauty indefinitely. Humans followed their example, keeping their conduct upright and their streets clean. Their role continued—until Olympus took power.
"I heard a goddess of beauty resides in this polis. Are you the Gorgon sisters?"
One day, a brown-haired goddess appeared, armed with a spear, shield, and full plate armor. "How impious. Aphrodite already sits on the throne of beauty in Olympus; do those who crawl on the ground with humans dare to use the same title?"
Medusa had never seen such terrifying weapons in her life. She had to hide behind her sisters and bow her head. "From now on, use this temple to honor me. Offer sacrifices once a month. You shall cover your faces with this plain cloth and serve as my priests."
The three sisters had no choice but to accept Athena's demands. They could not resist the martial power of the goddess of war. There was nowhere to ask for help. The Titans who lost the war were all killed or imprisoned. The seat of the sea god was taken by an Olympian named Poseidon. The Earth Mother was defeated and driven to the desolate North. Cut off from the humans they had interacted with for so long, the three sisters began a new life as priests of Athena.
"Are you Medusa, the youngest of the Gorgon sisters?"
One day, Medusa suffered an unfortunate assault. Poseidon, the sea god who had harmed her father, shamelessly showed his face. "Indeed, you are as beautiful as the rumors say. Medusa, I intend to take you as my concubine. I am sure you will be pleased as well."
The old man's hand grabbed her wrist. Shocked, Medusa shook him off and fled. "Haha, I like a game of tag too!"
Dazed, Medusa hid in the temple. How could that man speak such terrible things so calmly? How could he grab a girl's wrist with the same hand that harmed her father? Were they truly the gods of this era? Holding her breath and biting her lip, Medusa looked up. She saw the statue of Athena. She prayed for the merciful goddess to help her. Her desperate wish was answered. The statue slowly lowered its head and spoke.
"To dare engage in love play with a man in my temple—you are nothing but a harlot. A curse shall fall upon that ugliness!"
...What? Before Medusa could even doubt her ears, her hair began to swell. —Hiss!
"N-no. No! It's not true, Goddess!!"
Her beautiful hair began to turn into snakes, and her slender waist became that of a serpent. It was only later that she noticed a silver magic circle had been encircling her. It was the magic of Beastification. No, it was a curse.
"Ah, aaaaaah!"
Medusa didn't know what was happening. She had no way to control herself. One of her hairs fell to the floor, and in an instant, it grew in size. —BOOM! It became a giant snake large enough to destroy the temple.
"Oops, I came to the wrong place. Hehe."
Poseidon shrugged his shoulders and rode his hippocampus away into the sea. Only the polis, left in ruins and on the verge of destruction by the monster's rampage, remained.
"Medusa."
"Our little sister, Medusa."
Amidst the storm, Stheno and Euryale stood before the giant snake. Their trembling palms met, and their gazes were fixed on the face of their beloved youngest sister, just as they always were. —Aaaaah, aaaaaaah!!
Even though she was a monster who had already lost her reason, and her beauty had long since vanished, the two slowly reached out their hands toward their beloved sister. "Medusa, come here. Let me brush your hair." "Medusa, come—" —CRASH!!
The giant snake devoured the two small girls without hesitation. That was the last thing the consciousness of Medusa, the goddess of beauty, felt. The disaster-class monster, which had rampaged wildly for a long time, destroyed three poleis, crossed the sea, and reached the end of the world.
"...Sister? Sister?"
Only then did Medusa regain her senses. She searched for them for a long time, but no answer returned. Instead, the surroundings were full of human-shaped rocks. She remembered what had happened. Her face, reflected in the seawater, was covered in blood, wounds, and grime. "Sister, sister." There was no one left to look into her eyes and wipe her face.
—Whoosh!
The mana contaminated by Olympus turned into a curse, encroaching upon her consciousness. Her mind was a jumbled mess, and she denied reality. "Ah. Sisters, you've returned." The monster, having lost its divinity and fallen, muttered, "Please, look at my face again, just like back then."
—Kaaaaaah!!
"The beast is coming out again! Lord Sisyphus, be careful!"
Perseus warned, turning his body alongside the mage. Medusa, having finished regrouping in the crevice of the rocks, was dragging her massive body to fight again. Sisyphus, as if he had been waiting, loosened his neck and walked out in front of the monster once more.
'I blocked it once, but I don't know about a second time.'
Perseus became conscious of the shield held in his arm. The Aegis, which brilliantly reflected the sunlight. It was a holy piece of equipment that would deflect even Medusa's curse.
"Lord Sisyphus, please use this!"
Perseus threw the shield with all his might. It was a legendary-grade shield. With a piece of equipment like this, it would shine even brighter in the hands of a great hero!
Whoosh— Clang!
However, Sisyphus did not catch the shield. Instead, the shield struck the back of Sisyphus's head like a boomerang.
"Gasp."
Perseus's jaw dropped. Sisyphus, who had turned his head, asked with a deeply furrowed brow, "What is this?"
"O-oh, no... I thought you might need it..."
"What is this washbasin?"
"It's... a shield."
"A shield? Who made it?"
"Wouldn't it be the god Hephaestus? It's the shield known to have been used by the goddess Athena herself..."
Sisyphus stared down at the Aegis for a moment, then—CRUNCH! He stepped on it, crushing it under his foot.
"Gasp."
Sisyphus pointed a finger at Perseus, who was standing there with his mouth agape. "If I use a shield this big, I can't see Gilliam and Rick. Are you playing games?"
"Uhh... what did you say?"
"And I don't use things from those Olympian bastards."
Having said that, Sisyphus clenched his fist. "This is enough."
Medusa stood before him. —Hiss!!
She clearly recognized Sisyphus as a threatening enemy. Medusa pulled out her own hair and infused it with mana. Whoosh! The snakes that had swelled up in an instant gathered together and grew massive. BOOM! A roar erupted as the giant snake descended.
"This is... a Gorgon! It's a disaster-class monster that has destroyed several poleis!" the mage shouted. Perseus also broke into a sweat. A Gorgon. The word, once a symbol of beauty, had lost its divinity and now meant a giant serpent monster. Its size was over dozens of meters. It was at a level where the head at the top could not even be seen.
"Lord Sisyphus, I will handle this one!"
Perseus immediately emitted mana. "Ooooooh...!!" Brilliant light engulfed him. A spear of pure white light formed in his hand. It was Perseus's innate technique, the Light Spear.
"Hup!!"
The spear of light flew at tremendous speed, ignoring air resistance and gravity. Thwack! It pierced the giant snake's abdomen in one go.
—Gooooo!
However, the lethal technique only made the disaster-class monster bleed a little; it was not a fatal blow.
"Perseus, this is not an opponent you can face alone!"
"But I cannot retreat! Not when a great hero is fighting like that! Next spear...!"
—CRASH!!
Before Perseus could even finish his sentence, a terrifying roar erupted that was enough to deafen them.
"...Huh?"
Perseus and the mage stood frozen in place like fools. The disaster-class monster Gorgon, which had been such a massive threat, had an unrealistically huge hole punched through its abdomen.
Sssss— THUD!!
The massive body collapsed like a felled tree. Standing beyond it was a single man who had just swung his fist.
"What on earth just..."
"A punch...?"
A disaster-class monster subdued with a single punch? Even though Perseus and the mage had clearly seen it with their own eyes, they had to rub them several times. Looking again, it was no dream.
"Gr-great hero...!"
Perseus's lips curled upward. They say you meet a noble person in times of crisis. Sisyphus. He was undoubtedly the unidentified S-class hero.
Medusa was flustered. Sisyphus did not give her a gap; he leaped high and rushed toward Medusa. —Hiss!!
A fist was thrown in an instant.
'BOOM' is activated.
—CRASH!!
As the dust cleared, the scene was revealed. Sisyphus was standing there with his fist extended, having covered Medusa. However, it had narrowly missed, grazing Medusa's head and embedding itself in the ground.
'God-Slaying' is applied.
You have slain the goddess Athena's authority, 'Curse of Beastification'.
Medusa's beastification has been dispelled.
Medusa slowly raised her head and met his eyes. Her consciousness was returning little by little.
"Hey."
Unwavering, pitch-black eyes stared straight into her face. "I'll ask one last time. Where are the gods?"
How long had it been since someone looked at her like this? She could feel her heart racing. Medusa moved her unfamiliar lips and made a sound.
"They aren't in Greece?"
Medusa nodded. "Hmm, that works out well."
The great hero stood up. Medusa braced herself for death. The end of a monster was destined to be subdued by a hero or a god. Moreover, she was someone who had committed countless sins. "Hmm." However, the hero's reaction was a bit different from what she expected. He looked into Medusa's eyes indifferently and said, "Eyes that turn things to stone wherever you go—not bad."
He said something strange, not knowing if it was a joke or what.
"...Thank you."
The goddess Medusa bowed her head to him and paid her respects.